1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a chemical agent detector and, more specifically, to a device for use in the early detection and warning of the presence of an aerosol, vapor, and/or liquid droplet chemical agent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those concerned with the development of chemical agent detectors have long recognized the need for a reliable agent detector capable of detecting the presence of chemical agents in both vapor and droplet form. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,641 discloses an improved chemical agent detector that includes a droplet collector assembly having an air permeable surface for intercepting falling droplets and causing the droplets to vaporize into a sample airstream which is led through an inlet of a vapor sensor for detection. Numerous other types of chemical agent detectors and alarms have been developed and made available for sensing one or more of the known chemical agents currently in use. Although a number of such devices have been developed and proposed, there are primarily only three automatic detection and alarm devices available to the combat soldier today. The M8 and M8A1 alarms are used by the Army and Marines. The IDS alarm is used by the Air Force and Navy.
Although there has been a long recognized need for improvements in several alarm features, no practical device has yet been devised that resolves many of the current shortcomings. For example, some devices do not have the capability of performing multi-agent detection. Others do not have the ability of interfacing with remote warning systems. Still others do not have a self-test capability. Many require routine maintenance services for continuous operation while some have limited battery life. A number of alarms have excess size and weight. More important, most do not have the capability of detecting chemical agents in the aerosol, vapor and liquid form in a single device.
Consequently, because of these and other deficiencies, those skilled in these arts recognize the need for an improved chemical agent alarm that mitigates the many problems resulting from these deficiencies. The present invention fulfills this need.